Wilds Belephant

Basic Information

Anatomy

The average size of a Wilds Belephant is approximately 4.5m tall at the shoulder and build like a tank on four legs. A tough, gray exterior skin helps protect against the harsh savanna sun, as well as the teeth and claws of smaller predators. The enormous, distinctive ears are triangular in shape and encompass some 3 to 3.5 square meters and cover the entire shoulder. The ears are primarily used to produce airflow along the shoulders and sides of the Belephant to regulate body temperature. The ears are also used intimation, as well as enunciation and inflection in speech.
The prehensile trunk is an elongation of the nose and upper lip, another morphological distinction from their smaller cousins. The trunk is sparely covered in short, tactile hairs that grow thicker towards the tip. The elongated tip of the top of the trunk protrudes to a much finer point than the bottom. In tandium, both tips of the trunk make for a remarkably deft two-finger like manipulative process. The trunk is instrumental in the communication system of the Wilds Belephants, (as well as any other trunk-bearing, sentient species) and is utilized in a multitude of other daily uses such as drinking, tool work, smelling, touching, as well as producing sounds non trunk-bearing speakers are able to replicate. From such a plethora of uses, as well as the astounding strength of the trunk, at least some estimated several ten thousand muscles are thought control this dexterous extremity.
The tusks of the Belephant erupt out of the tushes of child Belephants sometime between the ages of 3 and 5 along with the beginnings of the other deciduous teeth and continue to grow as the Belephant ages. The tusks are not nearly the length of the Belephant larger cousins, and do not typically curve inwards, but back up. The average length is approximately 4 meters in males, and 3 in females.

Genetics and Reproduction

All trunk-bearing sentients have long periods of time between gestation periods, and produce offspring at a much slower rate as a result. Belephants are typically born as single children, though twins are known to occasionally occur.

Growth Rate & Stages

Belephants are considered to be leaving infancy with the eruption of their tusks. Juvenile Belephants stay close to their mother and spend most of their time playing with other children and helping with daily tasks. The Juvenile period lasts until the Belephant is around the age of 14 and enters into an adolescent phase. During this time the individual takes a more active role in providing for his or her community and spends less time at home with the mother. Belephants reach full adulthood sometime around the age of 25.

Ecology and Habitats

The Wilds Belephant make their home in the grasses of the savanna. Though some ethnicities over the generations have been known to migrate with their larger cousins. Areas with heavy grassland, wetlands, woodlands, and temperate forests all would make for ideal habitats. However, the Wilds are their ancestral homeland and their ties to their land are strong in Belephant culture.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Wilds Belephants are herbivores and primarily eat grasses, fibers and the occasional fruit. A favorite grass is the Manamoto grass.

Additional Information

Domestication

Domestication of plants is casual. Most if not all social groups of Belephants are migratory by nature and do not stay in one place for long. There is the occasional replanting of seeds that will produce fruit bearing trees along favored migratory trajectories. It should be noted that the exception here is Manamoto grass, which is frequently replanted with care and foresight for a returned harvest.
There is no instance known of domestication of animals outside of the symbiotic relationships the Belephant has developed and established with other species.

Facial characteristics

The long and wide bridge of the nose makes for a very large face, made all the more intimidating when the ears are at full display. Eyes are black and brown and positioned on either side of the bridge of the trunk above the tusks. Tusks are larger in males than in females. Males have short, coarse hair that grows sporadically on the top of a large head.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Primary social groups and ethnicities are going to be found in the vast expanse of the Wilds. However historically they have been known to make wetlands, woodlands, and even temperate forests.

Average Intelligence

The intelligence of the Wilds Belephant is thought to be at least somewhat comparable to a human, if not wiser and more considerate of action. The language barrier between non-trunk bearing species has made communication and interpretation difficult. As a species, they have not developed cities or specialized tools as other sentients have. However, this appears to be out of a lack of a desire to do so, rather than the capability or intelligence to do so.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Poor vision is compensated with an incredible sense of hearing. Their sense of smell is also exceedingly astounding. The tactile sense is utilized at the tip of the trunk. The small hairs there along with the adept touch of the trunk indicate that the tactile senses there are great.

Lifespan

80 years

Average Height

4.5m

Average Weight

estimated 12 tons

Average Length

8m

Average Physique

Sturdy and muscular. Their legs resemble trunks with three horned toes pointing out the front. Both the males and females are capable of short bursts of speed that exhaust a considerable amount of energy. The strength of the trunk along is enough to crush a tree.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Various shades of gray.

Geographic Distribution

• The Wilds